STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1201--A Cal. No. 126 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 10, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sens. PARKER, ADDABBO, COMRIE, HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommunications -- reported favorably from said commit- tee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, passed by Senate and delivered to the Assembly, recalled, vote recon- sidered, restored to third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading AN ACT to amend the public service law, in relation to establishing discount programs for veterans The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 2 66-w to read as follows: 3 § 66-w. Utility discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 4 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a 5 gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality to establish a 6 discount program for veterans no later than ninety days after the effec- 7 tive date of this section. Such program shall offer a yearly benefit to 8 veterans in the form of a ten percent discount on utility bills. The 9 fiscal impact of such program shall not be borne by customers and shall 10 not be added to bills rendered by a gas corporation, electric corpo- 11 ration or municipality to customers. 12 (b) A gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality which 13 offers such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the avail- 14 ability and amount of such discount on the website of such gas corpo- 15 ration, electric corporation or municipality. The availability and 16 amount of such discount shall also be conspicuously advertised on the 17 accessibility page of the website of such gas corporation, electric 18 corporation or municipality. 19 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 20 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named utility service account- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04720-05-3
S. 1201--A 2 1 holder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty thou- 2 sand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years 3 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa- 4 tion and finance; and (iii) served in and who received any honorable or 5 general discharge from the United States army, navy, air force, marine 6 corps, coast guard and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national 7 guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia. 8 (b) A primary named utility service accountholder shall provide the 9 gas corporation, electric corporation or municipality an authenticat- 10 ed copy of his or her discharge papers to be eligible for such 11 discount to demonstrate eligibility under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 12 sion. 13 § 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 89-q to 14 read as follows: 15 § 89-q. Water discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 16 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require 17 waterworks corporations and municipal water systems to establish a 18 discount program for veterans no later than ninety days after the effec- 19 tive date of this section. Such program shall offer a yearly benefit to 20 veterans in the form of a ten percent discount on water utility bills. 21 The fiscal impact of such program shall not be borne by customers and 22 shall not be added to bills rendered by a waterworks corporation or 23 municipal water system to customers. 24 (b) A waterworks corporation or municipal water system which offers 25 such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the availability and 26 amount of such discount on the website of such waterworks corporation or 27 municipal water system. The availability and amount of such discount 28 shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessibility page of the 29 website of such waterworks corporation or municipal water system. 30 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 31 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named waterworks or municipal 32 water system service accountholder; (ii) has had a total household 33 income of less than fifty thousand dollars for the most recent two 34 consecutive income tax years beginning in two thousand twenty, as veri- 35 fied by the department of taxation and finance; and (iii) served in and 36 who received any honorable or general discharge from the United States 37 army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard and/or the reserves 38 thereof, and/or the army national guard, air national guard, New York 39 guard or New York naval militia. 40 (b) A primary named waterworks or municipal water system service 41 accountholder shall provide the waterworks corporation or municipal 42 water system an authenticated copy of his or her discharge papers 43 to be eligible for such discount to demonstrate eligibility under para- 44 graph (a) of this subdivision. 45 § 3. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 91-b to 46 read as follows: 47 § 91-b. Telephone discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 48 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a 49 telephone corporation to establish a discount program for veterans no 50 later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Such 51 program shall offer a yearly benefit to veterans in the form of a ten 52 percent discount on telephone bills. The fiscal impact of such program 53 shall not be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered 54 by a telephone corporation to customers. 55 (b) A telephone corporation which offers such discount program shall 56 conspicuously advertise the availability and amount of such discount on
S. 1201--A 3 1 the website of such telephone corporation. The availability and amount 2 of such discount shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessi- 3 bility page of the website of such telephone corporation. 4 (c) Participation in the federal government's Lifeline or Affordable 5 Connectivity program, or any successor program the commission shall deem 6 sufficient, shall satisfy the telephone corporation's or cable tele- 7 vision company's obligation to establish a discount program under para- 8 graph (a) of this subdivision, unless the commission deems it insuffi- 9 cient to satisfy such requirements. 10 (d) Before applying a discount under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 11 sion, a telephone corporation may require proof of eligibility from the 12 primary named telephone service accountholder for the calendar year in 13 which the discount is sought. 14 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 15 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named telephone service 16 accountholder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty 17 thousand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years 18 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa- 19 tion and finance; and (iii) served in and who received any honorable or 20 general discharge from the United States army, navy, air force, marine 21 corps, coast guard and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national 22 guard, air national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia. 23 (b) A primary named telephone service accountholder shall provide the 24 telephone corporation an authenticated copy of his or her discharge 25 papers to be eligible for such discount to demonstrate eligibility under 26 paragraph (a) of this subdivision. 27 § 4. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 224-d 28 to read as follows: 29 § 224-d. Cable discount program. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other 30 provision of law, the commission is authorized and directed to require a 31 telephone corporation, as defined in subdivision seventeen of section 32 two of this chapter, and a cable television company, as defined in 33 section two hundred twelve of this article, that provides cable service 34 to customers in New York, to establish a discount program for veterans 35 no later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Such 36 program shall offer a yearly benefit to veterans in the form of a ten 37 percent discount on cable bills. The fiscal impact of such program shall 38 not be borne by customers and shall not be added to bills rendered by a 39 telephone corporation or cable television company to customers. 40 (b) A telephone corporation or cable television company which offers 41 such discount program shall conspicuously advertise the availability and 42 amount of such discount on the website of such telephone corporation or 43 cable television company. The availability and amount of such discount 44 shall also be conspicuously advertised on the accessibility page of the 45 website of such telephone corporation or cable television company. 46 (c) Participation in the federal government's Lifeline or Affordable 47 Connectivity program, or any successor program the commission shall deem 48 sufficient, shall satisfy the telephone corporation's or cable tele- 49 vision company's obligation to establish a discount program under para- 50 graph (a) of this subdivision, unless the commission deems it insuffi- 51 cient to satisfy such requirements. 52 (d) Before applying a discount under paragraph (a) of this subdivi- 53 sion, a telephone corporation or cable television company may require 54 proof of eligibility from the primary named cable service accountholder 55 for the calendar year in which the discount is sought.
S. 1201--A 4 1 2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "veteran" shall mean a resi- 2 dent of the state who (i) is the primary named cable service account- 3 holder; (ii) has had a total household income of less than fifty thou- 4 sand dollars for the most recent two consecutive income tax years 5 beginning in two thousand twenty, as verified by the department of taxa- 6 tion and finance; and (iii) received any honorable or general discharge 7 from the United States army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard 8 and/or the reserves thereof, and/or the army national guard, air 9 national guard, New York guard or New York naval militia. 10 (b) A primary named cable service accountholder shall provide the 11 telephone corporation or the cable television company an authenticated 12 copy of his or her discharge papers to be eligible for such discount to 13 demonstrate eligibility under paragraph (a) of this subdivision. 14 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 15 it shall have become a law.